Other articles with keyword "DOGGIEPING" since 12/29/04
Posted on 02/24/2006 9:30:01 AM PST by churchillbuff
The tale of a rambunctious puppy is proving its staying power in the dog-eat-dog world of U.S. best-sellers.
With more than 1 million copies in print, "Marley and Me -- Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" has struck a chord with dog lovers who are laughing and crying over author John Grogan's account of his yellow Labrador retriever.
The story is more than a recounting of Marley's antics that include chewing through doors, expulsion from obedience school, clawing paint off concrete walls, devouring furniture, swallowing valuable jewelry and swooning over soiled diapers.
The excitable, good-natured lab also knows how to protect the family's tiny children and consoles the couple when they grieve over a miscarriage.
The nonfiction book has been on The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks. It seems likely to break the barrier of a million copies sold, a feat generally accomplished by no more than a dozen books each year in the U.S. hardcover non-fiction market.
"It's really not just a dog book," Grogan said in an interview with Reuters.
"Before Marley, our life was about career, relationship, and ourselves," said Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He helped us shift from an egocentric life to something more generous."
In the book, Grogan wrote: "Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things -- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight.
"And as he grew old and achy, he taught he about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."
Grogan said he realized the appeal of Marley's story after the 13-year-old dog died in 2003, and he wrote about the experience in his newspaper column.
The column evoked responses from some 800 readers, 20 times the volume of mail his columns usually generated.
I'm tempted to go buy it for the weekend. Hubby's on a fishing trip and I've got some time on my hands. But I'm not wanting to read anything really sad and need to know if tissues are needed.
I'm sure it'll remind me of our beloved yellow lab we had to put down six years ago. My heart still aches for her.
A report that a particular book makes the top of the best-seller list, seems like a news item to me. Maybe this was bad "news judgment" on my part!
You have been here long enough to know better. For future referrence, unless Jesus returns to ghost-write the next Tom Clancy novel, no book review ever blongs on the Front Page of FR.
I'm glad you posted it--I didn't see the other posts.
thesmokinggun.com says that this dog's antics amounted to farting a lot after supper and shaking himself dry all over the clean laundry... *rimshot*
We're in the same boat. I've never heard of it either. Probably because I never read the New York Times.
Is this another story about Teddy Chappaquiddick??
You will need tissue at the end, but for the most part it is a joyful read.
After we lost our Golden at 15 1/2 we said we'd never have another dog. Excuses were:
We're too busy.
We work long hours and don't have time to train a dog.
The dog would have to be at home alone too much.
The dog would interfere with traveling to visit grandchildren.
No dog would be as good as Terra -- the one who died.
After several years when I would make my husband circle the block when I saw a handsome Golden walking with his owner, we started looking into Dog Rescue Organizations. Four years ago we adopted Max, a male Golden Retriever, and he has proven to be the best dog.
We take him to work with us every day (he has the corner office).
He was about a year old when we adopted him, so housebreaking was not an issue.
He never barks, so noise is not an issue.
I found it quite pleasant to slip away from work once a week to take him to dog training.
He travels with us to see grandchildren. He is an excellent traveler. He is the best thing to ever happen to us. I sincerely hope you can find room in your life for another dog.
Thanks for posting this article. I did not know about this book either. I have 2 friends who will enjoy it.
This was a wonderful book. I think we own the Ghost of Marley in our 8 month old yellow lab.
Tissues are needed. You'll laugh and cry.
I got a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble and have been trying to decide what to spend it on and I would buy this in a heartbeat if its good
Just put that book on my "must have" list.
Thanx for posting this!
Will do! I just didn't get to it this weekend as planned, but I have tommorrow off (being that it's Mardi Gras and I'm in LA) and will get it started...
I'll never understand why a !#%!#head dog like this is "funny" or "adorable". This is why half the population hates dogs: they think they're naturally obnoxious beasts. They're mostly just allowed to be that, tho.
I'll take a well-trained stable ADULT dog any day. A dog who makes the uninitiated LIKE dogs.
Thank you I appreciate your opinion as I know you are a dog lover as I am
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